Studio Distilling, a St. Paul micro-distillery that began production last September, is set to to hold a release party of its first craft spirit, a rye malt whiskey.

The event, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the distillery, 2380 Wycliff St. in St. Paul’s St. Anthony Park neighborhood, will offer chances to sample and buy a bottle as well as purchase memorabilia such as T-shirts and whiskey-tasting glasses. The Foxy Falafel food truck will also be on hand and a ribbon-cutting will take place.

Managing partners Brad Rolfs, who is also the founder and head distiller of Studio Distilling, and Shelly Dailey plan to take it one step at a time. They’re starting out with an off-sale license.

“We’re starting small,” Dailey said. “When we first open, we’ll be doing open bottle sale hours. You can come in for three, half-ounce samples and buy a 375-milliliter bottle to take home or on your way to the cabin ”

After July 26, open-bottle sale hours will run from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. The distillery will continue to release new spirits, with a bourbon next on deck. Possibly next year, the team hopes to expand to include a cocktail room.

Dailey said their philosophy is akin to farm-to-table restaurants emphasizing local producers and distributors. “We know where our grains are coming from, we pick our own yeast,” Dailey said. “We do the distilling here — we mash, we ferment, we distill it — we do it all in house. We’re literally making our spirits from scratch.”

The rye malt whiskey set for release is a tip of the hat to generations past but with updates. Look for chocolate, smokey and sweet notes.

“We’re making a three-dimensional experience of flavor. It’s unique to the whisky connoisseur, but also to anyone who likes craft beverages. We’re excited to make it our flagship,” she said.

Rolfs, who has a photography and consulting background, teamed with Dailey after working with her husband at a marketing firm. He was looking for a business partner with a sales and marketing background.

Dailey said their location seemed the perfect fit. “I’ve been a member of the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce for over a decade and am a huge St. Paul fan. And we’re right in the center of this creative zone where there’s a mix of up-and-coming and established businesses,” she said. “We also like that we’re right on the border of St. Paul-Minneapolis so it’s accessible from different parts of the Twin Cities. And it’s bikeable from many places and we’re right of the Green Line, so there’s access to mass transit.”

Nancy Ngo is a Minnesota native who grew up reading the Pioneer Press, so it’s fitting that she would one day work for them. She is a three-time Society of Professional Journalists Page One Award winner. Before covering food and lifestyle, she has previously covered government and public safety. She has served on boards including the Asian American Journalists Association and The University of Minnesota’s The School of Journalism and Mass Communication Alumni Society Board.

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